montgomery



March 5, 1957 J. R. MONTGOMERY 2,783,707

ANTI-JAMMER FOR TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

March 5, 1957 J. R. MONTGOMERY ANTI-JAMMER FOR TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'INVENTOR. Jo/irz E/Vo'rzgomey United States Patent ANTI-JAMMER FOR TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUlNG MACHINE John R. Montgomery, Chicago, 111., assignor to American Totalisator Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md, a corporation of Maryland Application June 25, 1953, Serial No. 364,137 7 Claims. (Cl. 10166) This invention relates to machines for selectively printing and issuing tickets, and has for its principal object the provision of a new and improved machine of this type.

It is a main object of the invention to provide in a machine for selectively printing and issuing tickets, mechanism for preventing the jamming of a plurality of tickets in the delivery chute of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a machine for printing and issuing tickets, a mechanism for preventing the initiation of a new cycle of operation of the machine until a ticket printed in the preceding cycle has moved in the delivery chute past the point at which jamming of a plurality of tickets in the chute may possibly occur.

Another object of the invention is to provide an antijamming device which is simple to install and maintain in proper working condition.

Further objects of the invention not specifically mentioned here will be apparent from the description and claims which follow, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example and in Which- Fig. l is a fragmentary view of a ticket machine showing the anti-jamming device in normal position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1, showing the device in operated position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the machine showing the control of the anti-jamming device; and

Fig. 4 is a partial view of a ticket machine with the casing in cross section and showing the environment of the invention. 7

Machines for severing a ticket from a roll of stock,

then selectively printing and issuing the ticket of the typeshown in Patent No. 1,886,626, issued to H. D. Black on' November 8, 1932, are provided with a delivery chute into which the ticket is moved after engaging the printing mechanism which impresses the desired indicia upon it. In the printing chute the ticket is moved along by a roller to a final position where it projects out of the machine so as to be available to the customer purchasing it.

It frequently happens that customers purchase a plurality of tickets and oftentimes hold their hand over the delivery opening of the machine or chute, thus'interfer mg with the intended movement of the tickets therethrough, with the result that a plurality of tickes' will bejammed in the machine, if it is possible to re-o'perate the machine before a preceding ticket has passed the, point where jamming is possible.

Ticket machines of this type are provided with'a lever which engages the leading edge of a web of paper from which the tickets are cut, when that web is properly.

threaded into the machine in readiness for an operation of the machine. Should the supply of paper become exhausted, this lever moves to a lowered position in which mechanisms controlled by it prevent an'operation of the machine in the manner fully explained in the above mentioned Black patent.

' ment in which the present invention is used. From this figure it will be apparent that the web of ticket stock in guide 104 is advanced by cam roller 105, a distance equal to aticket, and as 105 finishes advancing the stock, a pin 108 thereon engages a lever 106 through which a knife lit is operated to sever a ticket from the leading portion 21 of the web. The leading edge of the ticket so severed from the web is in engagement with the platen and ticket lever of the machine when the knife 110 is operated.

The present invention utilizes this lever, which is moved out of its normal position in a reverse direction by a ticket in the delivery chute, to prevent the initiation of a new cycle of operation until the ticket has passed the point of jamming in the chute.

When a plurality of tickets are jammed in the delivery chute, the machine must be opened and the tickets re moved from the chute. This operation is comparatively simple if there is but a single ticket in the chute; however, when a plurality of tickets are so jammed together, these tickets are badly mutilated during the process of removing them from the chute. Furthermore, since the jamming of the tickets occurs almost immediately after the printing operation, the ink is not dry and will be smearedoftentimes so badly smeared that it is difiicult to determine the number printed upon the ticket. The

jammed tickets obstruct the leading edge of the oncoming paper and that paper becomes wadded in the printing mechanism and is printed imperfectly, if at all. Since duplicate tickets must be issued to replace those jammed in the machine, such smearing, imperfect printing and the accompanying drawings.

' 1 to the right, as seen in Fig. 1, and with it rotates lever 2 around its pivot 3 to permit stirrup latch 4 to pass under the lower edge of the lever 2 and thereby lock the key in depressed position.

Movement of the lever 1 compresses a spring 5 that surrounds a start bar 6 which, at its opposite end, extends through a slot 7 in a start switch lever 8, shoulder 6a on bar 6 engaging the lever 8 at the bottom of slot 7, as shown in Fig. 1. After pin 1 has moved far enough to lock the key in'depressed position, the force of spring 5 overcomes the tension of main spring 9 and the start lever 8 ismoved clockwise by the longitudinal movement of the bar 6 to move main spring 9 into engagement with its companion spring 10 and thereby close an electrical circuit, not shown, over which the cycle of operation of' the machine is initiated.

Mounted upon'the side frame of the machine is a generally T-shaped latch 11, one arm of which carries projections 12 and 13 disposed against the upper and lower edges of the bar 6, the bar being capable of sliding longitudinally between these members.

The cycle of operation of the machine thus initiated causes theprinting mechanism 14 to be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow and mounted upon the same shaft as the printing mechanism is a cam 15 which carries a pin 16 that engages the bar 6 and elevates that machine isa lever20 which, when the web of paper 21 bar in preparation to terminating the cycle of operation.

Shoulder 6a is thus disengaged from the lever 8, as shown,

in Fig. 2. Y

Mounte adjacent the printing platen 17 of the Fatented Mar. 5, 1957 is properly positioned in readiness for a printing operation, rests against the leading edge 22 of'that web and is positiond as shown in Fig.3. As the printing mechanism moves and the web of paper is moved upwardly, lever 20 is rotated in a clockwise direction and held by its engagement with the ticket in the delivery chute 23. During the cycle of operation of the printing mechanism, the web is cut to form a ticket in the manner fully explained in the above mentioned Black patent and the new leading edge of the web is moved into the position in which the web is shown in Fig. 3.

Mounted upon lever 20 is a rod 25 which extends through the side plate of the machine and is located in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 when the cam is in the position shown in Fig. 3. As soon as the ticket being printed moves the lever 20 in a clockwise direction, rod 25 moves into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in full lines in Fig. 2. Rod 25 remains in this position until the trailing end of the ticket has passed beyond the lever 20.

Elevation of the rod 6 by the pin 16 into the position shown in Fig. 2, rotates the latch lever 11 around its pivot in a counter-clockwise direction, bringing the projecting end of the latch beyond the notch in the pawl 30, and spring 31 rotates the pawl around its pivotal mounting thereby latching the bar 6 in elevated position, even though pin 16 moves out of engagement with the bar and comes to rest in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. It will be noted that the elevation of the bar causes the tension of spring 9 to rotate the start lever 8 in a counterclockwise direction, the spring moving away from its companion spring 10, thereby to open the circuit over which the cycle of operation of the machine was initiated.

At the completion of the cycle, stirrup latch 4 restores, permitting the key to restore to normal and pin 1 moves to the left, taking with it bar 6 which in normal operation of the machine drops back into its lowermost position to re-engage shoulder 6a with the start lever 8 in readiness to initiate a new cycle of operation of the machine.

So long as the ticket remains in the delivery chute and lever 20 holds rod 25 in elevated position, latch 11 holds bar 6 in elevated position. Should a key be re-operated, it will be locked in depressed position, bar 6 will move to the right as before, however start lever 8 will not be operated, and a new cycle of operation will not be initiated. The jammed ticket must be removed from the delivery chute, and since there is but a single ticket in the chute this ordinarily can be done without difficulty and the ticket will not be smeared or mutilated, or the feed of the oncoming paper interfered with. As soon as the ticket is moved past the lever 20, rod 25 restores to its normal position and through its engagement with the projecting lever of pawl 30 rotates that pawl; thereby to permit the latch 11 to restore and drop the bar 6 into its normal position. The locked-down key is then released manually, thereby to move bar 6 to the left into engagement with the start lever 8 in readiness for the initiation of a new cycle of operation of the machine.

When the ticket passes through the delivery chute in the normal manner, rod 25 will restore before the end of the cycle of operation of the machine, latch 11 will restore dropping the bar 6 to its lowermost position so that when it is moved to the left as the depresesd key is restored it will re-engage the start lever 8 in a normal manner.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by latching the bar 6 in elevated position during each cycle of'operation of the machine, and maintaining it so elevated until the ticket has passed the danger point in the delivery chute, jamming of a plurality of tickets in the chute is definitely prevented.

When the anti-jamming device of the present invention is used in conjunction with the device shown in my;copending application (Case 2568), Serial No. 364,165, filed June 25, 1953, the keys of the machine; cannot be depressed to initiate a new cycle of operation of the machine until the bar 6 has been returned to its lowermost position. Thus, if a single ticket is jammed in the chute, no re-operation of the machine is possible, and, as frequently happens, such a ticket can be removed from the chute without jamming the machine and the ticket seller or customer can oftentimes clear the machine without aid. This is. particularly true when the jamming is caused by the customer attempting to hold a plurality of tickets in the chute so that he may take them all at one time.

While I have chosen to show my invention by illustrating and describing a preferred embodiment of it, I have done so by way of example only, as there are many modifications and adaptations which can be made by one skilled in the art within the teachings of the invention.

Having thus complied with the statutes and shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, what I consider new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is pointed out in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for printing and issuing selectively numbered tickets in which a plurality of keys are depressable one at a time to select the number to be printed on the ticket and to initiate an operation of the machine to sever a ticket from a web of stock and print and deliver the same; a device for preventing jamming of tickets in the chute through which the tickets are delivered, comprising: a pivoted lever raised to operated position by a ticket in said chute, a rod fixed on said lever and raised out of normal position by movement of the lever :to its operated position; a start switch; a start lever for operating said switch to close an electrical circuit to initiate an operation of the machine; a pin moved as a key is depressed; a start bar; means connecting said pin to said start bar to cause movement of the pin to move the start bar longitudinally thereby to operate the start lever to operate the switch; a cam rotated during an operation of the machine, means on said cam engageable with said start bar during rotation of the cam thereby to elevate said start bar out of engagement with said start switch lever; a latch; means connecting said latch to said start bar whereby elevation of the start bar moves the latch to operated position; a pivoted pawl having a lever extending into engagement with the rod that is fixed upon the ticket engaging lever; spring means for moving said pawl into engagement with the latch to hold the latch in operated position and the start bar elevated; means for lowering said ticket engaging lever as a ticket is moved out of engagement therewith, thereby to cause the rod fixed thereon to move the pawl out of engagement with the latch to permit the latch and start bar to restore to normal, and means for restoring said start bar and latch to normal in readiness for another operation of the machine.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the starting lever contains a perforation through which the start bar slides freely when in elevated position and in which the start bar contains a shoulder that engages the starting lever when the bar is in lowered position to operate the start lever.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the meansconnecting the latch to the start bar includes spaced apartpins carried on the latch and disposed above and below the start bar between which pins the bar slides longitudinally and through which pins the bar raises the latch and the latch holds the bar elevated.

4. A mechanism for-preventing the jamming of a plurality of tickets in the delivery chute of a ticket printing and issuing machine, comprising a start switch lever operable toclose an electrical circuit over which the machine is operated through a cycle to print and issue a ticket; a start bar movable longitudinally to operate said switch to initiate said cycle; a'cam operable during said cycle to raise said start bar out of engagement with said switch to restore the. switch to normal; a latch engaging said start bar and rotated into operated position by the upward movement of said start bar; a pawl for holding said latchin operated position thereby to hold said start bar out of engagement with said switch to prevent a reoperation of the switch; a lever moved to operated position by a ticket in the chute and maintained in operated position so long as the ticket remains in the chute; a rod fixed upon and actuated by said ticket chute lever; and a lever on said pawl through which the pawl is moved out of engagement with said latch by said rod as the chute lever restores to normal after the ticket is removed from the chute thereby releasing the latch; and means for lowering the start bar to re-engage the switch lever in readiness to initiate an other cycle of operation of the machine.

5. The combination with a ticket printing and issuing machine in which a selected key is depressed to move a start bar longitudinally thereby to operate a start switch lever'to initiate a cycle of operation of the machine to sever a ticket from a roll of stock, print and deliver the same; of an anti-jamming device for preventing the jamming of a plurality of tickets in the delivery chute of the machine, comprising: a pivoted lever rotated from a normal to an operated position by a ticket being delivered by the machine; means for raising the start bar out of engagement with the start switch lever when the cycle of the machine is partially complete; a pivoted latch; means connecting said latch to said start bar to cause the latch to be raised as the start bar is raised; a pivoted pawl; means for moving said pawl into engagement with the latch in raised position to hold the latch and start bar in raised position; means connecting said pivoted lever to said pawl and operable to disengage the pawl from the latch as the lever returns to normal when the ticket moves out of engagement with it thereby to permit the: latch and start bar to move'lput of raised position; and means for lowering the start" bar and latch to reengage; the start bar with the start switch lever in readiness to: initiate another cycle of operation of the machine.

6. An anti-jamming device as specified in claim 5, in which the latch includes an extension disposed alongside: the start bar, which extension carries a pair of pins, one: above and one below the start bar, through which pins. and extension the latch is raised as the start bar is raised.

7. An anti-jamming device as specified in claim 5, in which the pivoted lever, engaged by a ticket, has a rod fixed thereon and in which the pawl carries a lever engaged by said rod to cause movement of the pivoted lever from operated position to disengage the pawl from the latch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 398,276 Pierce Feb. 19, 1889' 1,435,062 Helsel Nov. 7, 1922 1,866,626 Black Nov. 8, 1932 1,866,627 Black Nov. 8, 1932 1,992,767 Pierson Feb. 26, 1935 2,014,831 Helsel May 26, 1936 2,041,831 Helsel May 26, 1936 2,115,760 Black May 3, 1938 2,204,897 Kilpatrick June 18, 1940 2,571,450 Hughes Oct. 16, 1951 

